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"Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people.He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;

"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people, And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of David His servant--

Luke 1:68-69

CommentaryThis passage is known as the Benedictus (the first word of v. 68 in the Latin translation; see notes on vv. 46-55; 2:29-32). Like Mary's Magnificat, it is liberally sprinkled with OT quotations and allusions. When Zacharias was struck mute in the temple (v. 20), he was supposed to deliver a benediction (see note on v. 21). So it is fitting that when his speech was restored, the first words out of his mouth were this inspired benediction.

The expression "horn of salvation," applied to Christ, means a salvation of strength, or a strong Saviour (Luke 1:69). To have the horn "exalted" denotes prosperity and triumph (Ps. 89:17, 24). To "lift up" the horn is to act proudly (Zech. 1:21).

Horns are also the symbol of royal dignity and power (Jer. 48:25; Zech. 1:18; Dan. 8:24).

24:1-7The Lord showed Jeremiah two baskets of figs set in front of the temple. One basket contained very good figs and the other contained very bad figs.

The good figs pictured the exiles in Babylon, who would be brought back to the land because they would return to God with their whole heart.

24:8-10The bad figs pictured Zedekiah the king of Judah, his princes, and the people remaining in the land after the deportation in Jeconiah's reign. The exiles will be brought back to the land, but the others will be scattered and consumed by sword, famine, and pestilence.